MINNEAPOLIS -- A
California kid who likes the slow-pace style of life, baseball
doesn’t seem to be any different for the talented Jack Flaherty.
The easy-going infielder is comfortable in the spotlight, and maybe
that’s because he’s constantly in it.
The
Perfect Game National Showcase is just the first of many events
Flaherty hopes to be a part of this summer. “I’m going to the
Tournament of Stars (after this) and then we’ll see what happens,”
said Flaherty. “Hopefully I’ll make this (Perfect Game)
All-American game.”
Cool
and collected, Flaherty looks at this event as just another
opportunity to do what he loves.
“I’m
just trying to go and have fun,” Flaherty added of his experience
playing in the Metrodome. “I’m not trying to put too much
pressure on myself. I’m just gonna do my best, (and) whatever
happens, happens. It definitely makes me raise my game. It makes me
play to the best of my ability playing with some of the other top
guys.”
Playing
with the best of the best is just what Flaherty does. During the Game
3 of the first day of the event on Thursday, Flaherty showed just
what he can do when he drilled a ground-rule double to center field
that hopped right over the 408 ft. mark. That was the highlight of a
great all-around game for Flaherty.
One
PG scouting report read:
“Flaherty
showed soft hands while charging in on a ball and make the throw
across the diamond all in one action. He also showed very good bat
speed and power, driving a ball to right-center field for a ground
rule double.”
He
also ran the second fastest 60-yard dash yesterday, clocked at 6.37
seconds.
Flaherty
is a member of the Harvard-Westlake varsity team, which finished its
season ranked No. 1 in the nation of Perfect Game’s High School
Team Rankings. Flaherty (31-for-86, .360 AVG) was a regular starter
for the nation’s best high school team, playing third base.
He
is also a member of the travel team, SGV (San Gabriel Valley)
Arsenal. “There’s a bunch of guys there that are going places,”
Flaherty said. “It’s a great program. Those guys out there do a
great job.”
Flaherty
will continue to play the game on baseball’s biggest stages long
after high school. PG's No. 10 prospect in the 2014 high school class
has verbally committed to the University of North Carolina in Chapel
Hill. That is, of course, if he doesn’t go pro out of high school.
“My
sophomore year we went out there (North Carolina) to play in Cary and
we had the opportunity to practice on their field (UNC),” Flaherty
of his decision to commit to the Tar Heels. “From the moment I
stepped on that field I kind of felt like I belong there.”
Eileen
Flaherty, his mom, found it somewhat funny that Jack felt so
comfortable on the other side of the country.
“He’s
just really happy in the state of North Carolina. (He) really loved
the coaches, loved the philosophy, loved the pace of the South.”
Flaherty
has been going through the process of finding his future home on the
diamond since the start of his sophomore year. It has been quite a
journey for him and his family. Traveling to Minneapolis this week
with Jack, Eileen is proud to see her son take the field in the
Metrodome for the PG National Showcase.
“Honestly,
there are times that I look up and I’m thinking, ‘Is this really
happening to our family and to Jack?’,” Flaherty's mother added.
“We feel really lucky to be part of PG and for Jack to be
recognized. I think he’s worked really hard to be at this point and
at the end of the day he’s a really great kid and that’s what’s
really important to me.
“One
of the things I said to him when he was young was, ‘Create
opportunities for yourself so that you can make choices versus having
choices made for you.’”
Flaherty
must have taken that advice to heart. He has paved his own path
through his hard work and dedication and has cemented himself as one
of the best players in the country for the class of 2014. Flaherty’s
approach to the game will have him playing at high levels for years
to come.